Translating device and method



M'rch 28, E950 T. N. ROSS 9 3 TRANSLATING DEVICE AND METHOD lll 2361 mg? 3 QM v I; 12 8 INVENTOR. Thomas N. Ross ATTORNEYS T. N. ROSS TRANSLATING DEVICE AND METHOD March 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan.

INVENTOR. Thomas N. Ross BY V I 5 1 v" ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 28, 1950 -UNITED STATES ?TENT OFFICE TRANSLATING DEVICE AND METHOD Thomas N. Ross, Seattle, Wash.

Application January 7, 1946, Serial No. 639,616

permanently lasting initial impression upon an electronic brain, there is initially produced a result which is related as effect to the initial signal as cause, in such manner that the electronic brain remembers and associates the cause and the effect (in other words, is conditioned), to the ultimate end that, upon repetition of the original signal, or cause, the conditioning or refmembrance of the electronic brain will produce the same effect as before, selecting from multiple possible effects that particular effect which alone corresponds to the repeated cause or signal.

The present invention is to be distinguished from devices which are purely selectors, wherein because each circuit of several is connected or arranged in advance, by design, to receive and react to one signal or stimulus only, a different stimulus for each circuit, it will upon all occasions react to such stimulus, and to that stimulus only. Such an arrangement involves no conditioning or remembrance, merely pure design selection on the part of a reasoning operator of the correct signal to cause the desired effect.

The present invention is also to be distinguished from all prior devices of the type wherein, since the signal has certain distinctive characteristics, the final operating device is painstakingly adjusted until it responds to those characteristics. That is adjustment of the effect to the cause. The present invention differs therefrom in that the effect is made to become a natural and automatic consequence of the cause, and the cause produces not only such efiect, but conditions a retentive element in such manner that, upon reproduction of the cause, the retentive element by association reproduces the corresponding effect.

There is produced, by such an arrangement, what may be likened to remembrance in the human brain, or to conditioned reflexes inanimals of all kinds, yet produced by instrumentalities ,which are wholly inanimate, and which include as an essential element an electronic device of special construction or arrangement, in the nature of a special or specially arranged cathode ray tube.

sound made up of different frequencies, for ex ample, and that resultant be impressed upon a 13 Claims. (Cl. 250-27) suitable cathode ray tube, in such manner that a permanent trace is impressed upon the tubes screen, the tube in effect remembers the words, but associates them with the frequency. If an output circuit from the tube is made responsive to the selected frequency to produce a given result in response to signals at that frequency from the tube, thereafter, whenever that same sound is received by the microphone, the remembrance of the tube associates the words with the correct frequency, and by such association produces the desired result through the output circuit. f

Moreover, the same electronic brain can receive and be conditioned with other or numerous, impressions, as a result of other signals, whether originating as sound or some other reproducible effect. Each resulting separate trace made permanently upon the cathode ray tube screen is given a different identifiable characteristic corresponding to a different oscillator frequency ap-- plied to the tube simultaneously with trace formation. Upon repetition of any one of such signals the brain will identify it and produce the response which alone corresponds to the repeated signal. Since the number of impressions capable of retention by the electronic brain is theoretically infinite, the number of signals receivable by, and responses produced by, such an arrangement is limited only by practical consideration as to segregation of circuits each of which receives or responds to a single signal only.

From the above it can be seen that the broad purpose of this invention is to provide electronic means, such as a cathode ray tube, and circuit means of which such electronic means is a part, whereby the associative principle in learning, known as the principle of the conditioned reflex, may be employed for automatic control of mechanical or like functions, through the medium of a properly conditionable or preconditioned electronic device.

It is the general object of this invention to -provide an electrical system, including an electronic device, upon which may be impressed any intelligence which can be translated into or expressed in the form of a characteristic electrical signal, and which at a later time will respond in a predetermined and characteristic manner whenever a like signal is again impressed into the system and upon the device.

It is a further object to provide such a system and electronic device which will be capable of receiving a large number of original signals, and ,to initially produce thereby results which are individually characteristic of a corresponding signal, and primarily only that signal, which system and electronic device, upon repetition of any one of those signals, will respond in the manner, and only in that particular manner, which is identical with the response initially produced by that signal.

As has already been stated, the invention conplates the use of an electronic device such as a cathode ray tube, so arranged that it will, in effect, remember Signals impressed upon it, which device is able to distinguish each signal, when again impressed, from any other signal,

and which as a result of such remembrance? will.

operate the desired instrumentality, or otherwise produce the intended and uniquely corresponding. result. A single device can remember a large.

number of different signals, and can selectively operate a corresponding number of difierentinstruementalities. To this extent, then, its comparison to the. human mind or brain, which recognizes, distinguishes,..and ,acts upon intelligence previe ously acquired by unimpressed. upon it, is..quite apt.

The scope of ther presentinvention can best be ascertained bystudy of thepresent specification; includingboth the accompanying drawings and the appendedv claims. However, it should be borne in mindthat the present invention is the first demonstration toany practical end of,.remembrancef by inanimate. means, as aresult of an initial command or impression, to produce an intendedresult-upon repetition of, that command or impression. The particular form and arrangement.chosen for purposes of explanationis by no. meansithe only possible form, and hence the present specification, including, the claims, is to be given the broadest. interpretation .consonant with the-breadthof the invention. asindicated above, and in the. claims which follow.

Figure -1 is a diagrammatic showing. ofa com.- plete circuitarrangement for the attainment of the end indicated. above, whereinv is. included a cathode ray tube modifiedfrompresent practice in order that it may be suited to such end.

Figure 2. is asimilar showing, with parts of the circuitsomitted, illustrating the use and arrange.- ment of an unmodified cathoderaytube.

My invention includes, asthemostpractical means presently availabl'e, an. electronic. device suchas a cathode :raytube, and builds upon the present-day state. of. such electronic art,..which now affords varied means of producing, focusing, deflecting, and varying the. intensity of a cathode ray in an evacuated..tube or chamber. By the present invention-there. is introducedthe. principleof associatingwith such atube l a screen which is susceptiblehof permanent alteration by the cathode ray of high intensity, initially em ployedto produce simultaneously a desired and characteristic result,t.and ofxusing thissoecondb tioned screen as a recording surface to mediate between. mechanical or; electrical ctions. or

effects to. be. controlled. and. the corresponding individual signals... upon their. repetition: and re.- impression atlowerlzintensity upon suchscreen. The-screen .maybeone of. special. nature, within the-tube, asi'is contemplated.by-theiorm of. Fig,- ure 1. My United. States. Letters: PatentNo. 2,449,752, .SeptembervZI, 1,948, discloses. azcathode ray tube of the type usefulinthis connection. Alternatively the screen may "be. a photographically sensitive screen which is placed insuch position relative tea-conventional .cathode ray. tube as to;v record an. image of. the trace. upon. the

screen, and which reacts through the medium of photo-sensitive means to produce the intended result, as is contemplated by the form of Figure 2.

The tube of Figure 1 includes a special metallic coating upon the interior of the glass envelope, together with a very thin layer of material, capable of permanent change under the influence of a beam of great intensity, overlying the metallic coating, and consonant with the latter. By way of'example a satisfactory coating consists of a thin film or undercoating of metallic potassium ID on the interior of the glass W, and overlying this metallic film a very thin layer or overcoating H of potassium hydroxide with adsorbed hydrogen, to comprise a sensitive coating H]. In Figure 1 the actual layers are greatly exaggerated as to thickness. Themetallic potassium layer l0 need only be thick enough to offer a continuous sur-- face, anda single molecular layer I l of potassium hydroxide with adsorbed hydrogen is sufficient. As. one of. many alternative. forms, a metallic sodium film at. In. is covered by a very thin film (ideally approaching, molecular thickness) of parafiine, volatilizableby the intensified cathode ray. In all forms, dependence is placed on the fact tha-twhen a cathode ray strikes a metallic surface, electronsv are emitted therefrom. An unimpaired thincoating on such a metallic surface as IO. alters the freedom of electronic emissions, but the. coating ceases to be unimpaired when broken by'impact of an intensified cathode ray during the time a signal selected for future recognition is being-impressed upon the screen. The overcoating. l I may be converted from potassiumhyclroxide to metallic potassium, in the first instance above, merging with the potassium or the undercoating l0; inthe caseof the paraffine overcoating, it may-simply be volatilized by the beam -.to leave. exposed the metallic sodium. In any case, thebeam effectsa permanent change in the nature of, the composite screen coating, wherever the beams trace bombards the screen at high intensity, and that permanent change alters the capability ofemission of electrons from the changed; portions of: they screen, when subsequently bombarded, at lesser intensity.

Other-metalsmay berused as the undercoating, such as other alkali metals, or caesium, or selenium. Theovercoating- II should be compatible with or consonant to the undercoating [0, in each case.

Where, in thisspeciflcation, relative intensity ofthe electron beam is referred to, as great intensity or lesser intensity, it is scarcely possible to define these terms in absolute quantitative units, for the reason that these values will necessarily vary in accordance with the characteristics of the tube and the nature of the screen coating employed. In general, great intensity refers to an intensity such-that, under the conditions present; the'beam produces an irreversible chemical ormicro-physical changein the screen, whereas abeamoiflesser intensity is one which produces only a. reversible. or elec ronic rea tion. u n the screen. secondarily emitting, such. elect ns a bpmbardflthexsclfien, without permanent chan e inthe. nature ,ofthe screenitself; If. the screen is of metallic potassium coated with potassium hydroxide, the. beam of great intensity produces a chemical change; if thescreen is of a metal coatedv withparafiine, sucha beam produces a microrphysicalchange. In eithercase, a beam of lesser intensity; pmduces only an electronic efiect. receiving, and emi ting; elect ons. without 3 change in the chemical or physical properties of the screen itself.

As is well known, a cathode ray tube has horizontal deflector plates or coils l2, and vertical deflector plates or coils I3. In the most elementary form of my invention I impress upon these respective plates or coils (hereinafter called plates) any intelligence which is capable of being expressed as two components, in the form of electrical signals. One component is impressed upon the horizontal plates I2, while the other component is impressed upon the vertical plates [3. In a very simple case, for example, the horizontal deflection of the electron beam may be a function of time, while the vertical deflection may be proportional to the amperage in an electric circuit carrying a brief pulse of current (for example, in a spotwelding circuit). Obviously, any particular combination of current versus time will result in a definite and characteristic trace, different from all other combinations of those or any other factors. If that trace be permanently impressed upon the screen, it will be retraced when the generating conditions are repeated, will be recognized or remembered, in effect, and will reproduce the same results as were produced when it was generated.

In the form of my device which is shown in Figure 1 the screen of the cathode ray tube Y is of special composition, as has already been discussed, to the end that an electron beam of great intensity will permanently change the char acter of the screen, throughout the trace of such beam over the screen, so as to alter its capacity for secondary emission of electrons from the aflected area, as compared with the remainder of the screen, when subsequently bombarded with an electron beam of lesser intensity.

To illustrate, the cathode ray tube 5 of Figure 1 has the conventional heater i l, cathode I5, grid i6, anodes H and 88, vertical deflecting plates i3, and horizontal deflecting plates H2. The large end of the tube, in the preferred form of Figure 1, departs from conventional practice in that it carries a special coating, of the nature previously discussed, capable of suffering permanent change under the influence of a powerful electron beam. Also provided is a collector ring H! for the purpose of collecting electrons resulting from secondary emission from the screen coating it, and of transmitting the same to output circuits. The cathode l5, grid 16, and anodes ll and iii are supplied with appropriate direct current voltages in any usual or known manner, as by tapping a resistance :l which is placed across a suitable source of direct current.

Inserted between the grid and cathode leads is an oscillator 3, of conventional or suitable design. This oscillator should be provided, in any desired manner, with suitable adjustments to enable it to give an output of any selected one of a large number of frequencies. Such oscillators, having the capabilities indicated, are relatively common, and their design is a matter of common knowledge in the art, hence the present invention is not concerned with, nor to be limited by, the specific design of such an oscillater. By means of this oscillator 3 the electron beam may be modulated at selected fre quencles, so that the beam will be a series of characteristically spaced, brief pulses.

The vertical and horizontal deflecting plates l3 and i2, respectively, as mentioned previously, may be supplied with signal impulses from any desired source. In Figure 1 a microphone 2 of spective deflecting plates.

any suitable design is shown feeding a conventional amplifier 2B, the output of which is fed into a dividing input circuit. .Each division contains, for example, a characteristic inductive link 22 or 23, which feed the corresponding rectifiers 24 and 25. The rectified impulses are delivered to the deflection plates 12 and it through the transformers 26 and 21, which serve the multiple purposes of stepping up the deflection voltages to the desired level, smoothing the rectified impulses, and restoring two-directiona1 characteristics of the deflection voltages so that the entire screen area may be traversed by a ray starting from a centralized rest position. The resistances 28 and 29 further serve to smooth out the curves of voltage applied to the deflection plates. All these modifications of the input energy are for the purpose of providing a reproducible pattern or trace of deflections derived from incoming signals-in the exampled instance, sounds.

The dividing circuit may take various forms, depending upon the requirements of the particular case, so that in the broad sense no especial emphasis is placed upon the forms just described, nor upon any other specific form. The objective, in the form described, is to provide a circuit adapted to separate high and low frequencies and to represent their energy variations by relatively simple ray deflections within the tube. Indeed, a dividing circuit is not essential, but other circuits for impressing a trace pattern upon the screen are capable of being used.

Thus, the primary of inductive link 22 is in series with the condenser 22a, so it receives principally the higher frequencies, while the primary of link 23 is in series with inductance 23a, and so receives only the lower frequencies. The outputs of corresponding secondary coils of these linkages are rectified by rectifiers 24 and 25, and the resultant voltages after transformation by 26 and 2'! are applied to the horizontal and vertical deflecting plates 12 and I3, respectively. The incoming signal has been segregated into two components, which are applied to the re- Upon impressing the trace of the electron beam of great intensity upon a screen, of such nature as has already been described, the potassium hydroxide, paraffine or other over coating is destroyed and removed, or altered, leaving the metallic coating exposed and hence of altered characteristics, relative to the still-coated remainder of the screen, in its ability to emit secondary electrons when it is subsequently bombarded by the electrons of the cathode ray as this ray, at lesser intensity, retraces such a trace. This cathode ray tube i is provided with suitable means for collecting the electrons from such secondary emission, to the end that they may be transmitted to output circuits for useful purposes. A collecting ring 19 serves as such means, and is connected to a group of resonant circuits 9!, 92, 93 9n, each tuned to one of the frequencies of oscillator 3, and thence through individual devices to be operated, designated 8!, 82, B3 8n to ground. These devices may be of considerable complexity, but their nature is unimportant to this invention so long as each is capable of being activated by an electrical impulse of the frequency delivered to it by its connected resonant circuit.

To set up the system for operation, it is first necessary to teach the system what is desired-to condition it-by suitingthe action of azdevice. such asifll totheinput signal at 2,- while simultaneously recording permanently upon the screenlil, H the resultant ofthat signal, for later remembrance. To thus'record a signal, the grid voltage is first adjusted to produce a very intense beam, of electrons-and the oscillator 3 is adjusted to a selected, frequency, one which corresponds to the frequency of one of the devices such as Bl. The signal source-in the illustrated arrangement the. microphone 2- isnow excited by a selected signal, such as a selectedreproducible sound. The resulting electrical impulse is amplified by amplifier 20, is broken down into horizontal and vertical. components by the dividing circuit, and is transmittedto the plates I2 and I3 respectively. The horizontal deflection of the; modulated electron beam will be proportional to the instantaneous intensity of the resultant of the higher frequencies, while the vertical deflection will be proportional to the intensity of the resultant of the lowen frequencies.

The beam will thus trace an irregular but characteristic, definite, and. reproducible path over the: screen. Because of the high intensity of the generating or recording beam, and the nature of the screen layers, the beam will permanently alter the characteristics of the screen, as by removing the parafifine coating from the affected portions of the. sodium layer. Since the beam is modulated by thetoscillator the trace left upon the screen will be a. series of dashes. rather than a. continuoustrace. Other signals may be similarly recorded usually (but not necessarily' in every case) with a different moduation frequency, as determined by the oscillator 3.

As will. by now be evident, if a similar signal (but accompanying-a ray of lesser intensity) isagain impressed upon the: tube, with the modulator or oscillator 3 removed or deenergized, through a similar input circuit, the electron beam will again trace the same path as before, resulting in a certain characteristic.secondary emission of electrons. If, however, a, different signal is pressed upon the tube, the electron beam will trace a path over. the unaffected areasof the screen, resulting in a different secondary emission; Thus, the output of the tube, representing the collected electrons resulting from secondary emission, will be of one valueif the original signal is reimpressed, and of another value if some other signal is impressed. For example ,.if the originally and externally recorded sound is accurately reproduced, and in the same way directed into the microphone, the unmodulated electron beam will retrace its original path. Even thoughthe beam is now unmodulated, it will be apparent that the secondary emission of the screen will notbe uniform throughout the trace of the unmodulated beam, but will vary as the beam travels now over theareas of the screen which were modified by the modulated recording trace-thev dashes re-- ferred to. above-and now over the intervening;

unmodified areas. This variation will be. at'the same frequency. as was. originally supplied by the. oscillator during the recording ofjthe-trace.

The electrons resulting from this secondary emission are collected by thecollector rin R, and delivered to that output circuit 91, 92, etc., which is-resonant to the particular frequency represented by the variations in intensity along the trace upon the screen. Obviously,'the current will pass selectively; and. automatically through whichever output circuit. is. tuned. to; the; trace-fre quency, and only-that device 81,32, etc., will be activated; Or energized; which: receives; current through such resonant output circuit;

Any suitable signal, on-combination of signals, which has'been recorded, at a characteristic'fretquency, and-thenrepeated, will activate the; ap propriate' device. Such other signals may consist of words capable, of identical reproduction, suchcas when firstrecorded on a magnetictape, afilm or disc, and, by playing them into the microphone, .recordedas a trace on the cathode raytube'screen, each at a frequency corresponding, to that for which a different output circuit 91', 92, etc., istuned: Were human beings 'ableto speak the-same words repeatedly in identical mannerrthen the apparatus'could bemade reliably responsive to directly: spoken commands, as will be evident; Even in rudimentary form the apparatus might well be made responsive to directly spoken words, at leastoccasionally out of repeated tries, if the" speaker cultivates ability to speak inthe samemanner into the-microphone after recording as during recording on the cathode ray tube, especially ifthecathode ray beam is not sharply focussed.-

The system is thusicapable of distinguishing and discriminating .onesignal from another, and of suiting the appropriate output action to the input signal. It is also-capable of discriminating any of'the. recorded signals from any unrecorded signal, or, vice versa. If a strange sound is directed into the. microphone, the electron beam will not trace overany of-the recorded. paths; but will travel oyerzsome new and different path; The output of the tube, under such circumstances. will not be of any of the frequencies to which the output circuits 9.1, 92; etc., are tuned, and; none ofv the: devices: Bi, 82, etc., will be activated.

In describing the initial recording the. output circuits were described as connected during the recording (as indeed they may be), in order to effect a close comparison between the conditioning of a childs'or of 'a puppys reflexes for exarm ple, by association of-idea and corresponding ac-- tion. However, the output circuits and devices are'not necessarily connected at the time of recording; for it is onl necessary that an adequate secondary electron emission, at proper frequencyone which corresponds to one output circuit--be collected and transmitted to the output circuit in order that the latter may be energized, and since the Value and frequency, as determined by the trace, determine the energization of the output circuit, the latter need not be connected while the initial trace being recorded. Being arranged to respond to an impulse of given value at a given frequency, it will respond thereto when, after initial recording, such an impulse is later transmitted to it.

It may be helpful further to illustrate the capabilities of the system by referring to the spot-welding example'mentioned above. Herein, in the event the current-time relationship, which has'produced. the initialtrace, is not reproduced exactly, and the subsequent beam therefore fails to. followthe established and desired pattern, an alarm bell or, light maybe energized.

Heretofore it has been assumed that the device; as 8!, and its energizing circuit, as 9*! are directly responsive to the inputsignal through the interposition of the cathode ray tube. It may be found preferably to substitute, in the output circuit, a previously and somewhatdifferently condition cathode ray tube. Suppose there is directed into thev microphone a given sound to condition the tube to excite'output circuit 9|. If in this circult 9| (or in the output device 8|) there is a second cathode ray tube which, when thus excited, has been taught to respond in an output speaker by producing a related but different sound, we have an indirect but nevertheless characteristic and related response.

So it can be seen that it is not outside the bounds of possibility, to teach such a tube and output circuit to function as a sound translating device, Which might even apply as a translator between different languages if word reproduction can be standardized, as by recording initially on a tape or disc, and playing back, as previously mentioned. The theoretical possibilities of the invention appear illimitable.

The form illustrated in Figure 2, from which is omitted the showing of an input circuit, employs a cathode ray tube l of known or conventional formation, instead of a specially arranged tube. It has a normal fluorescent screen Illa. The focusin and accelerating anodes are energized in the usual manner. The incoming signal is impressed upon the deflection plates l2 and i3, causing the electron beam to traverse a trace in the normal manner. Such trace, however, is imaged by a lens 50, and is recorded upon a photographic film or plate 5, so placed as to receive the traces image.

After all desired traces (each at its characteristic frequency) have been thus photographically impressed upon the photosensitive surface 5, the latter is developed and fixed. If removed for this purpose, it should be replaced accurately. While it is not wholly necessary, it may also be reversed or printed, making the image of the trace transparent, or translucent as compared to the surrounding unmodified areas.

Now if the signal is reimpressed upon l2 and I3 with the oscillator 3 removed or inactive, as by opening switch 30 the beam will follow the same path, illuminating the screen lfla uninterruptedly. The optical image of the trace will fall upon successive clear line segments on the film 5, which, if the film be reversed, will represent previous points of peak ray-intensity. Passing through these clear portions of the photographic image, light from the image of the uninterrupted trace will strike a photoelectric cell 6, giving rise to electrical impulses of the same frequency as was originally produced by the oscillator for modulation of the generating ray. Such impulses may, of course, be suitably amplified at 58, as required to cause them to produce the desired result. Each impulse, being characteristically modulated in accordance with its photographically recorded trace, may be distinguished from all other impulses, and can be directed to useful ends through the proper one of the tuned circuits SI, 92, 93 9n, and thence to the proper operating device 8|, 82, 83 or 872, just as in the case of the system previously described.

It has been assumed heretofore that the oscillator 3 will produce modulations at definite frequencies. This is not essential, for the oscillator 3 may be arranged to modulate variably, as by the variations of voice frequencies, impressed upon the input circuit through the medium of a suitably responsive device, and with suitably responsive output circuits.

I claim as my invention:

1. Translating apparatus adapted for reacting selectively to prerecorded stimuli repeated to the apparatus after recording, said apparatus comprising record producing and retracing means having an impressionable medium and cooperat ing stimuli recording means operable electrically to create spatially interrelated recordings in said impressionable medium, which are of configurations characteristic of difierent stimuli impressed on said recording means, input means connected to said recording means for applying electrical stimuli thereto, adjustable modulating means connected to said recording means to apply thereto selected modulation stimuli simultaneously with the application thereto of selected stimuli from said input means, the resulting records in said impressionable medium thereby incorporating both said input stimuli and said modulation stimuli, said record producing and retracing means further having means cooperating with said impressionable medium and responsive to the repetition of an input stimulus, for retracing the record of such stimulus in said impressionable medium, and adapted to produce thereby a detectable electrical signal having the modulation characteristic of said stimulus, and discriminator means receptively connected to said responsive means to receive such signal, and comprising signal-modulation-sensitive means having sensitivity selective of individual modulations and adapted automatically to produce different translative results related as eiiect to such input stimuli as cause.

2. Electric translating apparatus comprising means for creating an electrically defiectable beam, impressionable means interposed in the path of said beam to be affected thereby to form a lasting beam trace impression with deflection of said beam, means coacting with said impressionable means to produce therefrom an electrical response when said beam is caused to scan along a trace impression, beam deflecting means adapted to deflect said beam to produce such trace impression and such scan in response to an electrical signal applied and reapplied, respectively, to said deflecting means, means for deriving electrical signals for application to said deflecting means, which signals represent characteristics of impressed stimuli, modulating means coacting with said deflecting means in producing diiferent modulation effects on said beam when different stimuli are so impressed, the effects becoming incorporated compositely in said beam trace impressions, and detecting means selectively reactive to said electrical responses produced with the rescanning of beam trace impressions to produce related operative results responsively to the impression of different stimuli.

3. An electronic translating device adapted to respond selectively to messages recorded and then repeated to the apparatus, as said messages are repeated, said device comprising a cathode ray tube having an impressionable screen adapted to retain a lasting impression of a beam trace pattern, beam deflecting means for said cathode ray tube comprising separate deflecting members disposed at an angle to each other and operable to scan the beam over said screen along different paths in response to difierent deflecting voltages applied thereto, electrical response means associated with said screen and adapted to produce an output signal characterized by a beam trace pattern upon retracing said pattern which has been impressed on said screen, means for producing deflecting voltages for application to said deflecting members, which voltages are different components of a stimulus impressed on such means, to produce a beam trace pattern representative configurationally of said stimulus,

means for impressing a selectable modulation characteristic on saidbeam coincidentally with the impression of said stimulus, to impart an identifiable modulation effect on the resulting beam trace impression on said screen, different modulation effects being given to different stimulus patterns, and modulation detecting means associated with said electrical response -means and adapted to react selectively to different output signals corresponding to different stimuli to produce different operative results.

4. Electrical translating apparatus adapted for reacting selectively to'stimuli previously recorded in said apparatus, said apparatus comprising a cathode ray tube having an impressionable screen adapted toform lasting impressions of different beam trace patterns, beam deflecting means for said cathode ray tube and :adapted to scan the beam thereof in two dimensions over said screen, an input device adapted 'toreceive controlling stimuli and to convertsuch :stimuliinto beam deflecting voltage impulses for application respectively to said deflecting means, 'each stimulus being converted into at least two .such impulses which represent different characteristics of such stimulus, means for modulating the intensity of the beam at a selectable frequency differently with different stimuli to impart different modulation characteristics to said impressions, detector means operable to produce modulation-bearing electrical impulses by the retracing of patterns on said screen, and discriminator means having separate elements adapted to react individually to different modulation fre- *quencies to produce operative results related as effect to such stimulias cause.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, in which said input means comprises harmonic analyzer means adapted to separate an impressed stimulus into voltage harmonics in an upper and a lower-range, for application to said deflecting means toproduce a beamtrace pattern characterized by such stimulus and differently for others.

6. In a robot device responsive to applied stimuli, an electronically responsive record'medium .of the secondary emission type carrying spatially interrelated trace impressions, the configurations of which are representative of different recorded stimuli and which bear individual identifying modulation patterns along said trace-i'mpressions. electrically detectable on scanning said impressions individually by the modulated secondary emissions therefrom.

7. In a robot device responsive to applied stimuli, a record medium carrying spatially interrelated separately identified stimuli impressions, the configurations of which are representative of different stimuli, signal output means operable by scanning said impressions selectively in response to the application said stimuli to produce an output signal characteristic of the identification of each impressionso scanned, and discriminator means responsive selectively to the different output signals to produce different operative results thereby unique to each such stimulus.

8. The method of recording a group of stimuli in sequence for producing sequential-responses .selectively to repetition of said stimuli in a predetermined sequence, said method comprising the steps of forming a stimulicarrier medium coacting with a record. medium, applying-stimuli sequentially to said carrier medium to scan said record medium, thereby to'form lasting record impressions thereon ;representing said stimuli,

i2 imparting different stimuli-identifying effects to said carrier medium as said stimuli impressions are formed, by intensity modulating said carrier medium at different frequencies corresponding to individual stimuli, reapplying said stimuli sequentially to said carrier medium without modulation thereof to scan said impressions, said record medium being adapted upon scanning individual record impressions thereon to form modulated electrical signals identifying different stimuli, and detecting said signals selectively to produce corresponding different operative results in the same sequence.

'9. A robot device adapted to respond to sonant commands to produce predetermined effects related thereto, comprising a record medium bearing, each with different modulated recording characteristics, a vocabulary of different record patterns corresponding to selected sound stimuli, to condition the device for robotoperations, coacting record scanning means responsive to such sounds and operable therefrom to scan selectively the record pattern of each such recorded stimulus on said medium, said medium being adapted responsively to such scanning to produce detectable modulated signals unique to individual stimuli, detecting means associated with said recording medium and operable by repetition of recorded sounds to convert said detectable modulated signals to electrical output signals corresponding to such sounds, and means responsive selectively to said output signals to produce distinctive operative results related individually to sounds repeated to the device.

10. In combination with a cathode ray tube, having an associated screen structure adapted to retain permanently thereon a plurality of characteristic initial traces produced by deflection of an intense beam in said tube, the traced screen areas having a different scannin response property than untraced areas, signal input circuit means operable initially to deflect a high intensity beam in said cathode ray tube to produce selected permanent characteristic traces on said screen structure corresponding to selected input signals, beam intensity modulating means operable during such initial beam deflection to impressin such traces identifying modulation characteristics unique to different input signals, means operable to effect scanning of said selected traces by the beam at low intensity by repetition of corresponding selected input signals, said screen structure thereby producing modulated scanning responses associated with the different traces, and coacting output circuit means operable to separate such individual scanning responses to produceselected results therefrom.

11. The combination defined in claim 10 in which the modulation means comprises a variable frequency circuit and in which the output circuit comprises a frequency-discriminator circu-it having selective branches tuned individually to the modulation frequencies of the individual traces.

12. A system for reacting to an impressed stimulus, upon its repetition, comprising a cathode ray tube, and including a screen structure associated therewith, said screen structure being characterized in the alterability of its scanning response properties along the trace of the electron beam by controlling intensity of such beam, input circuit means operable to control beam deflection of said cathode ray tube, and responsive to a selected signal to produce a correspending beam-deflecting stimulus which effects upon said screen structure a, permanent trace characteristically related in form to said signal, coacting modulating means simultaneously operable to modulate the beam during such deflection to produce a characteristic scanning response modulation in said permanent trace, and output circuit means operably connected to said screen structure and responsive to scanning response impulses generated by retracing such trace to produce a circuit reaction characteristically related to such trace, and diflerently for the difierent traces characteristically modulated.

13. The system as defined in claim 12 in which the cathode ray tube includes individual beam deflecting means disposed operatively to produce beam deflection in different directions on the screen structure, and further in which the input circuit means include harmonic separating circuit branches connected individually to said sep- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,125,599 Batchelor Aug. 2, 1938 2,137,888 Fuller Nov. 22, 1938 2,241,027 Bumstead May 6, 1941 2,396,211 skellett Mar. 5, 1946 2,401,729 Goldsmith June 11, 1946 2,422,295 Eaton June 17, 1947 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,501,788 March 28, 1950 THOMAS N. ROSS It is hereby certified that errors appear in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 10, line 36, strike out the Word therefrom and insert the same after "pr0duce, line 27, same column;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of July, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

